Redefining Roles as Oshima Halder Transforms Gender Norms in Khulna

In Pana, a small village in Khulna, southwest Bangladesh, 48-year-old widow Oshima Halder is rewriting the story of women’s roles. In a place long defined by storms, saltwater, and tradition, she has turned her own struggles into a movement for change.

Life Before Change
For more than two decades after losing her husband, Oshima’s days were defined by hardship. She worked as a day laborer, walked nearly four hours each day to fetch drinking water, and could not afford to send her children to school. Climate change made survival even harder, cyclones, tidal surges, and saltwater intrusion destroyed freshwater sources and pushed communities toward environmentally damaging shrimp farming.

The Turning Point
Everything began to shift in 2020 when Oshima joined the Gender-responsive Coastal Adaptation (GCA) Project. Elected leader of the 22-member Monpura Women Livelihood Group, she trained in climate-resilient crab farming and hydroponics.

Breaking Barriers
Soon, women who had been confined to household chores were running aquaculture businesses and guarding crab farms at night, work once done only by men. Their earnings, averaging BDT 10,000 (USD 85–90) each last year from crab farming, brought not just income but influence. Hydroponics added fresh vegetables to their diets, improving nutrition and reducing costs.

Changing Minds, Changing Lives
With financial independence came a stronger voice in family and community decisions. Men began supporting their wives and daughters in pursuing livelihoods. The old image of women as dependents gave way to one of women as earners, protectors, and leaders.

A Leader Forged in Adversity
Oshima’s journey from hardship to leadership now stands as an example in coastal Bangladesh. She has mobilized women, built solidarity, and broken long-held gender barriers. Her story is proof that gender transformation is not an abstract concept; it’s something you can see, measure, and feel in daily life.

The GCA Project, implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Department of Women Affairs and funded by the Green Climate Fund, has been central to this change. By combining climate-resilient livelihoods, skills training, and women’s leadership, the project is helping vulnerable coastal communities adapt to climate change while promoting gender equality. In villages like Pana, these efforts are not only protecting lives and livelihoods but also rewriting social norms for generations to come.